Chapter 70 – The World That Belongs to You Still Exists

【You had long anticipated this day’s arrival. You noticed Protector Shadow standing behind the crowd, but you had no intention of capitulating outright. Your acting was flawless — you put on a perfectly clueless expression.】

【Grand Protector Zong merely sneered at your words. He declared that only cultivators could refine such pills, and you were one of the very few cultivators in this world.】

【Upon hearing Grand Protector Zong’s words, the surrounding Elders and Protectors all showed hostile expressions, secretly encircling you as though worried you might try to flee.】

【You saw thick greed in Grand Protector Zong’s eyes. You understood that he simply wanted to learn the secret behind your ability to cultivate — and then refine you into a pill.】

【Naturally, you would not grant his wish. You declared that you were certainly not the only cultivator in this world — for instance, Grand Protector Zong himself standing right before everyone was one, and perhaps other instances harbored cultivators as well… The reason Grand Protector Zong was slandering you was undoubtedly to refine you into a pill for his own advancement!】

【Hearing your explanation, the surrounding Elders and Protectors showed doubtful expressions — they felt your argument had merit. After all, the fact that Grand Protector Zong’s lifespan was nearing its end was no secret among the upper echelons. When you had first joined the Advent Cult, Grand Protector Zong had even requested that you be given to him as a reward, his intentions self-evident.】

【But later you had demonstrated your own value. Between an alchemy Elder with boundless potential and a Protector whose lifespan was running out — which held greater worth to the Advent Cult was genuinely debatable.】

【Seeing the Protectors and Elders around you softening their stance somewhat, you struck while the iron was hot, stating that this was merely speculation with no actual evidence.】

【The group of Elders nodded upon hearing this. Your reputation within the Advent Cult over these years had been fairly good — you often refined virility pills for various Elders, and they were quite willing to believe you.】

【But since the matter was of great importance, one Protector still turned his gaze toward Protector Shadow, asking whether she knew what you had actually been doing all these years.】

【Outwardly you remained composed, but inwardly you were already growing tense, ready at any moment to flee into the Blessed Spirit Field.】

【All the Elders and Protectors turned their gazes toward Protector Shadow, and your heart hung suspended in your chest.】

【Contrary to your expectations, Protector Shadow merely chuckled and shook her head. She said that you had been providing pills for the sect all these years — why were others still making such malicious assumptions about you? She picked up the Organ Tempering Pill and compared it with the Essence Nurturing Pills you had refined.】

【She stated plainly that the alchemist who refined the Organ Tempering Pill possessed skill far surpassing yours, and she invited the other Elders and Protectors to examine them.】

【After the other Protectors inspected them one by one, they all nodded in agreement. Though both were spirit pills, the refinement techniques were worlds apart — like comparing an unfinished shell of a building to a fully furnished luxury apartment.】

【But these Elders were too polite to say outright that your Essence Nurturing Pills were poorly refined, and could only diplomatically note that there was a gap in alchemical technique.】

【Ultimately, after deliberation among the Elder Council and Protectors, they concluded that this matter had nothing to do with you.】

【Only Grand Protector Zong, that rabid old dog, still wanted to take a bite out of you. He claimed that Protector Shadow and you were in cahoots — that you were both traitors.】

【The other Protectors and Elders all looked at him as though he were an idiot. After all, Protector Shadow’s unwavering loyalty was known to everyone. Protector Shadow even worshipped the Master Race and sought to transform herself into one of them, so no one believed Grand Protector Zong’s accusations.】

【Meanwhile, you secretly breathed a sigh of relief — Old Dog Zong had nearly exposed the truth.】

【At the same time, you cast a deep glance at Protector Shadow. You were completely certain that Protector Shadow knew the pill was your work, and that she had chosen to help conceal it. This might not necessarily prove she was a traitor, but it at least meant Protector Shadow was not one hundred percent loyal to the Advent Cult!】

【The group of Elders and Protectors departed from your dwelling. Before Protector Shadow turned to leave, she silently mouthed words at you.】

【You had studied lip-reading for a time before. Her words said: We’re even now!】

Su Xing felt a shock in his heart upon reading this. “Protector Shadow — she’s actually a traitor too? But… which side sent her as a spy? The Great Xia Military?”

Su Xing furrowed his brow slightly, then shook his head.

“If she were the Great Xia Military’s mole, then the fifteen thousand Essence Nurturing Pills she previously asked me to refine would have been impossible to hide, and my identity would definitely have been discovered.”

“But if she’s not a spy for the Great Xia Military, then whose spy is she?”

Puzzlement filled Su Xing’s heart, but even more so, relief.

“Although I still don’t know Protector Shadow’s true identity, I can at least confirm that she isn’t absolutely loyal to the Advent Cult. This will definitely bring tremendous advantages in my future simulations!”

“If I can cooperate with Protector Shadow, it would absolutely buy significant time before the apocalypse in the simulations…”

Su Xing’s mind raced ceaselessly. He could simulate — he had infinite chances for trial and error. Protector Shadow’s identity was absolutely worth the risk.

Su Xing had already made his decision. He took a deep breath and continued the simulation.

【For the next period of time, you chose to keep a low profile. Beyond your daily pill refinement, you devoted the vast majority of your energy to cultivation.】

【Year fourteen — through your tireless efforts, you finally completed the inscription of the ninth core marking.】

【The moment your Nine-Revolution Golden Core was achieved, you beheld the Golden Core within your dantian shining with brilliant radiance. Your entire being emanated a sense of perfection, of natural completeness. A feeling arose within you — as though it was always meant to be a Nine-Revolution Golden Core. Anything less than nine revolutions seemed to be an imperfect Golden Core!】

【Having forged the Nine-Revolution Golden Core, you knew your task was complete. The apocalypse was no longer far off — a few months at the earliest, a year or so at the latest, before the alien race would launch a full-scale invasion of the real world.】

【At this point, you still had tens of thousands of Essence Nurturing Pills accumulated over the years. You wanted to deliver all of these pills to the Great Xia Military, to see how much time they could buy.】

【But before that, you intended to meet with Protector Shadow one more time.】

【One day, you arrived at Protector Shadow’s quarters and found her in the midst of cultivation. Protector Shadow had sensed your approach in advance. She asked whether you had made your preparations to fully merge with the Master Race.】

【You shook your head gently, then boldly voiced the doubt in your heart — you asked Protector Shadow whether she was absolutely loyal to the Advent Cult.】

【Protector Shadow fell silent for a long time upon hearing this. Then she removed the mask from her face. Her features were still exquisitely, breathtakingly beautiful, but you also saw that the skin at her neck had developed fish-scale-like patches of black — the manifestation of deep fusion with a shadow beast.】

【Protector Shadow let out a soft laugh. She said if only you had given her the Organ Tempering Pill sooner — back then, if there had been more pills, perhaps everything would have been different.】

【She looked at you with a trace of envy in her gaze. She said that you were at least someone who still had a home to return to — at least the world that belonged to you still existed.】